UNION, N.J. - Kean was able to outlast Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team and hold on for an 85-77 victory in a hotly-contested non-conference matchup on Wednesday night, Nov. 16. 

Chris Haynes netted a team-high 18 points for the Lions (1-2), while Nate Curry added 17 points and seven rebounds. Isaiah Eggleston continued to play well in a reserve role, finishing with 14 points and six boards, while Zegary Scott III added 11 points and seven assists. 

Penn State Harrisburg shot lights out in the early going and raced out to a 19-10 lead behind 11 points from Haynes and the team's 5-for-5 start from beyond the arc. The Lions continued to lead late into the first half but the Cougars (4-0) chipped away and eventually pulled ahead 30-29 with 6:43 left before the break and took a 41-37 advantage into halftime.

Things remained close early in the second half before Kean stretched its lead to nine at the 14:36 mark but the visitors stormed back and used a 12-4 run capped by a Scott layup in transition off a Haynes steal and assist to pull to within one at 58-57 with 11:30 left to play. 

The Cougars answered with a run of their own and took their largest lead of the night at 72-61 with 7:41 remaining but Penn State Harrisburg mounted another push sparked by back-to-back 3-balls from Eggleston and Scott that cut the deficit to five with less than five minutes left.

The momentum swung back in favor of the home team when Letrell West converted an old-fashioned 3-point play and followed it up with a jumper from beyond the arc on the following possession but the Lions made one last run that saw Lance Douglas and Scott pull their squad to within five once more with with 1:56 remaining. 

Penn State Harrisburg had an opportunity to do more damage in the final moments but a 3-ball that would have cut the deficit to two with 1:11 left missed the mark, allowing Kean to hold on for the narrow win. 

NOTABLES

- The Lions shot 47.5 percent from the field but Kean managed an even better 53.2 percent shooting clip.

- Penn State Harrisburg shot 42.3 percent from 3-point range.

- The visitors won the rebounding battle 34-31. 

- Haynes matched his career-high scoring total with a team-best 18 points.

- Curry shot better than 50 percent from the floor to tally 17 points and seven rebounds.

- Eggleston knocked down three 3-pointers en route to 14 points and six boards in 17 minutes off the bench.

- Scott posted 11 points, seven assists, and a pair of steals.

- Douglas finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and five assists. 

- Alex Leiba collected a game-high nine rebounds to go along with four points. 

- Chase Robinson chipped in with five points off the bench.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions return home to host Bridgewater (Va.) at the Capital Union Building on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.